清初赐封妈祖天后问题新探

On the Problem of Conferring Mazu(妈祖) as Tianhou(天后) in Earlier Qing Dynasty

本文通过对康熙朝原始资料的考证,证明清朝廷在康熙二十三年前后未曾授封妈祖为天后,清代文献中记载康熙二十三年赐封天后的记载,是后人篡改原始文献的结果。但是,康熙中叶,闽台沿海民间皆有人称呼妈祖为天后,受其影响,雍正年间的闽台官员多以为康熙二十三年确实有天后之封,并将其上奏皇帝,造成雍正帝的错误。乾隆皇帝不愿彰显其父的错误,将错就错,正式封赐天妃为天后。其后,在官方政书中,将封赐天后远溯康熙二十三年,编造了施琅请封天后、康熙帝批准的神话。

Through a textual research of the original historical data about t Emperor Kangxi reign, this article intends to prove that the government did not conferred Mazu （妈祖） as Tianhou （天后） in Kangxi 23th years, so the recordation of literature which recorded that Mazu was conferred as Tianhou in that year was tampered by posterity. However, during the middle period of Kangxi, there were some persons in coastal Taiwang and Fujian who called Mazu as Tianhou. It ifluenced the officials in the period of Yongzheng reign, so they reported the circus to the emperor, which caused Yongzheng made a mistake. Qianlong emperor did not want to show his father＇s mistake, so he conferred Mazu as Tianhou officially. Thereafter, in official records, the conferment dated from Kangxi period; what＇s more , it fabricated a myth that Shilang （施琅） applied it and Kangxi ratified.